Winding machine



Dec. 13, 1955 w, BAILEY 2,726,818

WINDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l 75 6 INVENTOR 1 1 61] [67 Baflgy BY M 4 ATTORNEYS Dec. 13, 1955 w. BAILEY 2,726,818

WINDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HM-Hum 125 8 MJZEI B917 VII? EM m 1P4 ATTORNEYS INVENTOR United States Patent 2,726,818 WINDING MACHINE Waiter Bailey, Silver Spring, Md, assignor of one-third to Edward A. Camp, and one-third to Eenry .l. Dorr, Washington, D. C.

Application October 19, 1951, Serial No. 252,177 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-7 This invention relates to automatic control mechanisms for machines, and has for its general object to provide a simple, practical, automatic control mechanism which is operable in response to a predetermined number of revolutions of a power-driven shaft to disconnect the shaft from the power means by which it is driven, thus to predetermine the number of revolutions made by the shaft during any given cycle of operation of the machine. The shaft may carry, or may be connected in any suitable manner with, an element to which a predetermined number of revolutions are to be imparted for any desired purpose. For example, the element may be a winding form on which a predetermined number of turns of wire are to be wound to provide a coil having predetermined physical and electrical characteristics.

in some instances it may be desirable to provide automatic brake means to stop rotation of the shaft immediately following its disconnection from the power means by which it is driven. Accordingly, a more specific objeet of the invention is to provide simple, practical, automatic brake means for this purpose.

Another more particular object of the invention is to provide manually settable means and, in conjunction therewith, indicating means to variably predetermine the number of revolutions to be made by the shaft before it is disconnected from the power means by which it is driven.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

in the drawings:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of the winding machine with one leg support portion broken away;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the winding machine with portions of the winding head, wire guide and support broken awa;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the iine 33 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and with portions of the winding head and feed screw in elevation; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the lines 44 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 55 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows showing a stop means; and

6 is a partial vertical sectional and elevational view of a modification of the invention.

Like reference numerals or characters in the several fig .res of the drawings all denote the same component parts or elements.

ice

The invention will be more readily understood by referring to the drawings in detail wherein the machine is disclosed as comprising a suitable base or support generally indicated at B and comprising oppositely disposed, substantially A-shaped side frames 7 and 8 connected adjacent their lower extremities by braces 9 and 10 which serve as a supporting means for a rockably mounted shaft 11. On the upper end of the side frames 7 and 8, is mounted a supporting frame which includes a bottom 12, opposite side walls 13 and 14 and an intermediate wall 15. The opposite end portions of the bottom wall 12 rest on the upper ends of the frame 7 and 8. Suitable cap screws D serve to connect the upper frame as a whole to the base or support B. The top wall 16 of the frame may be in the form of an elongated graduated scale and it is secured to the intermediate wall 15 and the side wall 13 by means of screws 17 or the like. The walls 13, i5 and 14 have aligned openings 18, 19 and 20 respective.y therein.

in the opening 13, is disposed an elongated bearing 21 in which are alined, communicating bores 22 and 23 which open through the inner and the outer ends, respectively, of the hearing. I Threaded in the bore 23 is a plug 25 and inwardly of said plug, is a coil spring 26, one end of which engages the plug and the other end of which engages the outer end of a feed screw hereinafter more fully described. The bearing 21 is provided with a flange 27 which abuts against the wall 13 immediately adjacent the opening Band is secured to said wall by means of screws or the like 28.

An elongated bearing 29 has a reduced end portion 30 fitted in the opening 29 in the wall 14 and, inwardly of this wall, said bearing includes a circular fiange ortion 31 which abuts against the inner face of said wall andis secured to said wall by screws 32. Inwardly of the flange 31, the bearing is of cylindrical form 33 and the extreme inner end thereof 34- is exteriorly screw threaded. The bearings 21 and 29 are in horizontal alignment.

A feed screw generally denoted at 35 has one end por tion 36 thereof journaled in the bore 22 of the bearing 21 and the other end portion 38 thereof journaled in a bore in the bearing 29. The portion of said feed screw which extends between the bearing 21 and the wall 15 is threaded as indicated at 37. As will be seen in Fig. 3, the end portion 36 of the feed screw is provided with an end recess or depression 39 in which is seated a ball 40 which is engaged by the other end of the spring 26 whereby the feed screw is constantly urged longitudinally in a right hand direction. The plug 25 being adjustable allows for more or less pressure to be exerted on the feed screw, as desired.

A pulley P is journaled on the bearing 29 and has its hub H confined between the flange 31 of said bearing and a nut 48 which is threaded upon the inner end portion 34 of said bearing. Thereby said pulley is held against longitudinal movement relative to said bearing.

Secured to the side of the wall 15 nearer the pulley P and disposed concentrically about the shaft 35 is a brake ring R.

Suitably fixed to the shaft 35 between the brake ring R and the pulley P is a disk 51 which is provided at one side thereof with a friction ring 53 for braking cooperation with said brake ring R and, at the other side thereof, with a friction ring 54 for clutching cooperation with the adjacent side face of the hub H of said pulley P.

The feed screw 35 is capable of a small amount of longitudinal movement and, by the spring 26, is constantly urged longitudinally a direction to engage the friction ring 54 with the adjacent side face 45 of the hub H of the pulley P, thus to drivably connect said pulley 7 V V 3 r with said feed screw. In this connection the relationship of the disk 51 to the pulley P and the brake ring R is such that when the friction ring 54 is engaged with the pulley hub H the friction ring 53 is disengaged from the brake ring R and by only a slight amount of longitudinal movement of the feed screw inthe opposite hub H and the friction ring 53 is engaged with the brake ring R,

A traveler, designated generally as T, is provided for threaded engagement with the feed screw 35 so as to be advanced along said feed screw by rotation thereof. In addition the machine includes a suitable fixed stop, constituted for example by the wall 15, to be engaged by said traveler to halt its advance along said feed screw. Hence, when said traveler engages said stop, continued rotation of the feed screw results in said feed screw being moved longitudinally in a direction opposite to the direction of advance of the traveler therealong.

The traveler T comprises a pair of channeled guide members 57 and 58 slidably engaged with opposite marginal portions, respectively, of the top plate 16, spaced apart plates 55 and 56 fixed to and depending from.

said guide members, and a split nut, designated generally as N, mounted between said plates 55 and 56.

The split nut N is composed of two sections 59 and 60 which are pivoted to the plates '55 and 56 as indicated at, 61 so that they may be swung apart and together. The said sections respectively overlie and underlie the feed screw 35 and have therein semi-circular,

, screw-threaded recesses 62 which accommodate said feed screw and provide a screw threaded connection of the nut N therewith when the sections are swung together. Rotation of the feed screw then is effective to advance the nut N and, hence, the complete traveler T, along said feed screw. When, however, the sections are swung apart the sections 59 and 60 are disengaged from the feed screw and the traveler T is free to be slid manually to any desired position along said feed screw.

Between the sections 59 and 60 is an expansion coil spring F which tends constantly to swing said sections apart. Appropriately, the end portions of said spring F may be seated in recesses E in the sections 59 and 60 to retain said spring operatively engaged with said sections. i

Handles 63 extend forwardly from the sections 59 and 60 for use in swinging said sections together, and when said sections are swung together they may be held together by a latch L pivoted to one of the sections and cooperating with a keeper pin 71 carried by the other section. A suitable spring 64 preferably is provided for cooperation with the latch L to hold the latter engaged with the keeper pin 71, and said latch preferably is provided with a finger-engageable formation 70 to facilitate its disengagement from said keeper pin. The latch L preferably is suitably formed so that upon closing of the sections 59 and 60 it is automatically swung into operative engagement with the keeper pin 71. Below the lower nutsection 60 is a suitable stop G to limit downward swinging movement of said lower nut section. As shown, said stop G may comprise a rod extending between the side plates 55 and 56.

On the upper face of the top plate 16 is a scale 81 while carried by the traveler T is an indicator 83 for cooperation with said scale 'to indicate the number of revolutions of the feed screw 35 required to advance said traveler from any given starting position thereof nto engagement with the wall 15. .Appropriately, the mdicator 83 may be in the form of a membrane, fine wire or the like extending between the guide members 57 and 58 and across the top of the plate 16. Appropriately, too, the top plate 16 may be channeled as indicated at '82 adjacent to the scale 81 to render said scale more clearly visible.

An adjustable traveler setting stop means 84compris- 1 direction the friction disk 54 is disengaged from the pulley interior screw threads 89. A washer 90 may be positioned beneath the head 88, see Fig. 5.

On the underside of the bottomwall 12 is a bracket 73 on which is mounted an electric motor M. The motor M is conventional and includes a. combined brake and clutch means such as is shown in Patent 2,004,055,

' June 4, 1935. On the clutch 'disc shaft of said motor is mounted a pulley indicated at 74. This pulley 74 is in cooperative disposition with respect to the aforesaid pulley P. A V-belt V is trained about these two said pulleys. The clutch and brake operating means associated with the motor M- is under foot'control of the operator; An operating rod 0 has one end thereof connected with the combined'brake and clutch means, not shown, but disclosed in the aforesaid patent, and the other end 75 of this rodprojects through an opening in a lever 76 and is maintained in that relationship by means of a cotter key or the like 77, there being an adjustment coupling 78 intermediate the end-s of the rod. The lever 76 at one end 79 is fixed to the rock shaft 11 and the other end of this lever is inthe form of a pedal 80 that is preferably to the right side of the lower portion of the frame for convenience in operation and control bythe operator. e

An end portion 37" of the feed screw 35 projects be yond the wall 14 and has mounted thereon a winding head designated generally as W. A coupling 91 with a set screw 92 is utilized to detachably secure this winding head to the said-projecting end of the feed screw. Briefly, the winding head consists of a cross head 93 carrying a pair of arms 94 which are adjustable toward and away from each other and which include portions 95 connected by a screw 96 for effecting their adjustment. Winding forms 98 are carried by the arms 94 and are adjustable withsaid :arms toward or away from each other whereby they may have wound thereon coils of different sizes. i

in the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 6, a bearing 100 is disposed against the outer face of the wall 13 in alinement with the opening 18 and is secured to tudinally to the left as viewed in Fig. 6 and thereby tends constantly to disengage the friction ring 54 from the hub H of the pulley P and to engage the friction ring 53 with the brake ring R. Between the washer 104 and the adjacent end of the bearing 100 is a clearance space 107 to permit the feed screw 35 to-be moved longitudinally to the right as viewed in Fig. 6 r

An elongated U-shaped bracket 108 having outwardly extending, ears 109 is welded or otherwise secured to the outer lower side portion of the side wall 13 and has sup.- ported therein between the said ears a rock shaft 110. In spaced relationship on this rock shaft are two oppositely inclined levers 1 11 and 112. The lever 111 is bent as at 113 and has its lower end 114 welded to the rock shaft 110. In itsupper end 115 said lever 111 has an interiorly screw threaded opening 116 into which is threaded an adjusting screw 117 having thereon lock nut 118 to maintain adjustment thereof. The screw 117 is alined with the feed screw 35 and bears against a ball 40 seated in a recess 39 inv the adjacent end of said feed screw. t

A substantially vertically disposed reinforcing'rib 120 gra ers may be provided on the lever 111. The lever 112, like the lever 111, is welded to the rock shaft 110 and extends inclinedly downwardly and outwardly therefrom and has one end of a link 121 pivotally attached thereto as at 122. The other end of the link 121 is attached as at 123 to a lever 124. This lever 124 in turn is pivotally mounted at 125 to a portion of the machine frame B adjacent the floor and a foot engaging plate 126 is welded or otherwise secured to the outer end portion of said lever 124.

The operation of the machine as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 for winding a coil having any given number of turns is as follows: First, the latch L is released to disengage the nut N from the feed screw 35 and the traveler T is adjusted along the plate 16 to a position in such spaced relationship to the wall 15 that the number of turns to be embodied in the coil corresponds to the number of revolutions of the shaft 35 required to advance the traveler T along said shaft against said wall 15. The nut sections then are closed and become latched in embracing relationship to the feed screw 35. In this connection the scale 81 and the indicator 83 afford means to indicate the'proper starting position of the traveler T for any given number of turns to be embodied in the coil. If a number of coils having the same number of turns are to be successively wound, the stop 84 then is adjusted into engagement with the traveler T so as thereafter to serve as an abutment against which the traveler T may be moved to insure its proper starting position for each successive coil to be wound without any necessity of observing the scale 81.

Either before or after the traveler T has been placed in a correct starting position, the free end of the wire or other material Y contained on, for example, a spool X and to be wound on the winding head W, is engaged with said winding head.

The foot pedal 80 then is depressed with the result that the motor is caused to drive the pulley P and thereby to drive the feed screw 35, because the spring 26 is urging said feed screw longitudinally in a direction to maintain the friction ring 54 in clutching engagement with the face 45 of the hub H of the pulley P.

Driving of the feed screw 35 results in advancement of the traveler T from its starting position toward and eventually into engagement with the wall 15. When said traveler engages the wall 15 and its advance along the feed screw thereby is halted, it acts as a fixed nut with the result that continued rotation of the feed screw causes said feed screw to be fed through the nut N in a direction to disengage the friction ring 54 from the pulley P and thereby to cut off power to the feed screw. The spring 26 yields, of course, to permit this movement of the feed shaft. This action occurs, of course, at the precise time the coil being wound has had the desired predetermined number of turns of material embodied therein. Thus, even though the pedal 80 may be maintained depressed, the winding operation will automatically cease and the wound coil will contain the desired number of turns of material.

Upon disengagement of the friction ring 54 from the pulley P and consequent cutting off of power to the feed screw 35, said feed screw may tend to continue to rotate due to its inertia. In that event, feeding of the feed screw through the halted nut N will result in the friction ring 53 being moved into engagement with the ring R and consequent stoppage of rotation of the feed screw. In this connection, only a very small amount of longitudinal movement of the feed screw 35 is required to disengage the friction ring 5 from the pulley P and to engage the friction ring 53 with the brake ring R. Hence, the Winding operation is stopped substantially instantaneously with disconnection of the feed screw 35 from the pulley P.

When the winding head W ceases to rotate, the operator of the machine thereby is appraised of the fact that the coil has been completely wound. The foot pedal thereupon is released to stop the machine and the wound coil is removed from the winding head. Subsequently, the nut N is disengaged from the feed screw 35 and the traveler T is shifted to its starting position for winding of another coil.

Upon disengagement of the nut N from the feed screw 35, the spring 26 acts to shift said feed screw longitudinally in a direction to again engage the friction ring 54 with the pulley P so that when, subsequently, the pedal 86 again is depressed, power is applied to the feed screw to rotate the same.

The operation of the Fig. 6 form of the invention is as follows: The spring tends constantly to shift the feed screw 35 longitudinally in a direction to disengage the friction ring 54 from the pulley P and to engage the friction ring 53 with the brake ring R. Therefore, the motor M may be rotating constantly without imparting rotation to the feed screw. When, however, the foot pedal 126 is depressed, the lever arm 111 is swung in a direction to cause the screw 117 to exert force longitudinally upon the feed screw 35 in a direction to disengage the friction ring 53 from the brake ring R and to engage the friction ring 54 with the pulley P. Thereupon, the feed screw 35 is rotatably driven until the traveler T is advanced from a starting position into engagement with the wall 15. Upon engagement of the traveler T with the wall 15, there occurs the same action as has previously been described in connection with the Figs. 1 to 5 form of the invention. In other words, the feed screw 35 is shifted in the opposite direction to effect its disconnection from the motor M and braking thereof. This action occurs even though continued force is exerted upon the foot pedal 126 because the mechanical advantage of the screw action between the feed screw 35 and the nut N is far greater than the leverage action of the pedal 126 and the lever arms 111, 112. Hence, as in the case of the spring 26 of the Figs. 1 to 5 form of the invention, the foot pedal 126 and its associated parts constitute yieldable means for shifting the feed screw 35 longitudinally in a direction to connect the same with its driving means and to permit it to be shifted in the opposite direction due to its threaded cooperation with the nut N following engagement of the traveler T with the wall 15.

I claim:

1. A machine for winding linear material in the form of a wire strand or the like, comprising a base, a frame supported on the base, the frame including opposed fixed spaced side walls, a feed screw having its opposite ends mounted in the opposed side walls for rotation and axial movement, a traveler unit threadedly engaged with said feed screw, indicating means carried by said frame, indicating means on said traveler unit for cooperation with said first mentioned indicating means to indicate the number of revolutions of said feed screw required to move said traveler unit a given distance along said feed screw, a form mounted on said feed screw and upon which the material is to be wound, a combined brake element and clutch element fixed to said feed screw, a stationary brake means carried by said frame, a power driven pulley having a face portion thereof disposed to be engaged by said clutch element in response to axial movement of said feed screw in one direction, yieldable means for moving said feed screw in said direction to cause said feed screw to be driven by said pulley and to advance said traveler unit along said feed screw, and a fixed stop with which said traveler unit is engageable so that continued rotation of said feed screw produces axial movement of the same in the opposite direction, thereby to effect disengagement of said clutch element from said pulley and engagement of said brake element with said stationary brake means.

2. A winding machine as defined in and by claim 1 wherein the traveler unit is in the form of complementai pivotally connected together split nut sections which embrace the screw threads of the feed screw and wherein each of these sections has laterally and outwardly extend- I said stop means.

ing' sim ilarlyfdrnied handles, spring urged latch means spasm I carried by the said sections for detachably maintaining the two split iiut seams-s together. 7

3.- A Winding r'rla'chi'ne as defined in and by claim 1 wherein a spring constitutes the yieldable means that constantly urges the feed sc'rew axially in a direction to cause latter, power means for rotatably driving said shaft, clutch means operable by longitudinal movement or" said shaft in one direction to effect a driving connection between said shaft and said power means and by longitudinal movement of said shaft in the opposite direction to disconnect saidshaft from said power means, brake means operable by longitudinal movement of said shaft in opposite direction to stop rotation of said shaft and releasable Dy-longitudinal movement of said shaft in the first mentioned direction, yieldable means operable tomove said shaft longitudinally in the first mentioned direction, a traveler laterally movable relative to said shaft from and into threaded engagement with said shaft and adjustable atrwill along said shaft and into threaded engagement therewith at any selective location therealong, said traveler when in threaded engagement with said shaft being movable along said shaft by rotation of said shaft, stop means with which said traveler is engageable when moved along said shaft by rotation of said shaft whereby rotation of said shaft is effective to move said shaft longitudinally in the second mentioned direction to efiect disconnection of said shaft from said power means and application of said brake means, and a pair of indicator elements one fixed and the other carried by said traveler to indicate Where to engagesaid traveler with said shaft at different locations therealong spaced different distances from said stop means to predetermine the number of revolutions of said shaft required to move said traveler into engagement with 5. A winding machine as set forth in claim 4 in which the yieldable means to move the shaft longitudinally in the first mentioned direction comprises a spring.

6. A winding machine as set forth in claim 4 in which 7 the yieldable means to move the shaft longitudinally in 8 A wiiidihg machine. 6 V dl'ohgitudin'al movements, a Wind- V in warm with said'shaft'aiid s aced from said clhtch element, 'clutcli and brake element's fixed on said shaft between said first mentioned clutch and brake elements whereby longitudinal movement of said shaft in one direction is effective todiseng'agesaid brake elements and engage said clutch elements to.

causesaid shared) beroltatably driven and longitudinal mo "ment of said shaft in the opposite direction is effective todis eii'ga'g'e said clutch elements and to engage said brake elements to stop rotation of said shaft, yieldable means operable to move'said shaft longitudinally in the fisrt mentioned direction, a traveler laterally movable relative to said shaft fr m: and into threaded nageiaem v vith said shaftand a'djiistabl'e 'atwill along said.

shaft and into threaded eng ageinent therewith at any selected position th'e'real'ong, said traveler when in threaded engagement vvithfsaid shaft being movable along said shaft by rotation of said shaft, stop means with which said traveler is engageable when moved along said shaft by rotation of said shaft whereby rotation of said shaft is effective to move said shaft longitudinally in the second mentioned direction to effect disengagement of said clutch 7 elements and application of said brake elements, and a pair offindicator elements one fixed and the other carried by said traveler to indicate vvvhere'to engage said traveler 'withsaid shaft at difier'ent locations therealong spaced different distances from said stop means to predeter'rnine the number of revolutions of said shaft reqnir'ed to move said traveler into engagement with said stop means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,869,857 Meyer t Aug. 2 1932 2,145,439 ,1939 7 2,166,852 1939 2,194,248 Saul Mar..19, 1940 2,406,968 Seher Sept. 3, 1946 2,460,190 Petrofi et 211. Jan. 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS I 7 397,247 France Feb. 13, 1 09 18,034 Great Britain 1910 367,060 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1 932 552,485 Great Britain Apr. 9, 1943 mpi'ising a threaded shaft 

